Modern Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanxi University, No. 92, Wucheng Rd. Xiaodian Dist., Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi, China; The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, No. 92, Wucheng Rd. Xiaodian Dist., Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi, China; Institute of Biomedicine and Health, Shanxi University, No. 92, Wucheng Rd. Xiaodian Dist., Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi, China.
Modern Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanxi University, No. 92, Wucheng Rd. Xiaodian Dist., Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi, China; The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, No. 92, Wucheng Rd. Xiaodian Dist., Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi, China; Institute of Biomedicine and Health, Shanxi University, No. 92, Wucheng Rd. Xiaodian Dist., Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi, China.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Aug 1;245:125542. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125542. Epub 2023 Jun 22.
Polysaccharides are one of the active components of Cistanche deserticola (CD). Cistanche deserticola polysaccharides (CDPs) significantly regulate gut microbiota, immune activity, and neuroprotective functions. However, it merely scratches the surface that the anti-depression effects of CDPs. We aimed to demonstrate the anti-depression effects of CDPs and the underlying mechanisms from the perspectives of gut homeostasis by behavioral evaluations and applying integrally microbiome, metabolome, and molecular biology. CDPs showed significant effects on improving abnormal behaviors of depressed rats. Additionally, CDPs maintained Th17/Treg balance and modulated gut immunity of depressed rats. Comprehensive microbiome and metabolome analysis showed that CDPs significantly ameliorated abundances of beneficial bacteria, and increased the contents of SCFAs, consequently maintaining gut homeostasis. Besides, the anti-depression effects of CDPs involved in amino acid metabolism including BCAAs, glutamine, etc., maintaining metabolic balance. The current findings provide not only deep understanding of depression focusing on gut, but also evidence about the anti-depression effects of CDPs, broadening clinic applications of CDPs. Of note, the present study is of significance in a long run, in terms of providing novel strategies and protocols for revealing mechanisms of anti-depression drugs, and for the discovery of new antidepressants and functional foods from natural products.
多糖是肉苁蓉（CD）的活性成分之一。肉苁蓉多糖（CDPs）可显著调节肠道微生物群、免疫活性和神经保护功能。然而，CDPs 的抗抑郁作用仅触及表面。我们旨在通过行为评估和综合应用微生物组、代谢组和分子生物学，从肠道稳态的角度展示 CDPs 的抗抑郁作用及其潜在机制。CDPs 对改善抑郁大鼠的异常行为有显著作用。此外，CDPs 维持了抑郁大鼠的 Th17/Treg 平衡，并调节了肠道免疫。综合微生物组和代谢组分析表明，CDPs 显著改善了有益细菌的丰度，并增加了 SCFAs 的含量，从而维持了肠道稳态。此外，CDPs 的抗抑郁作用涉及包括支链氨基酸（BCAAs）、谷氨酰胺等在内的氨基酸代谢，维持代谢平衡。目前的研究结果不仅为关注肠道的抑郁症提供了更深入的认识，还为 CDPs 的抗抑郁作用提供了证据，拓宽了 CDPs 在临床上的应用。值得注意的是，从长远来看，本研究具有重要意义，为揭示抗抑郁药物的机制以及从天然产物中发现新的抗抑郁药和功能性食品提供了新的策略和方案。
